It is known to provide automatic water shut off valves that have the ability to sense a water leak and automatically close the valve so as to prevent further leakage and damage. See for example, the disclosures found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,771,920 and 5,794,653, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated by reference. While such automatic water shut off valves are known, many have not had the ability to sense both very small trickle leaks and large catastrophic leaks with great reliability. Further, some of the automatic water shut off valves of the prior art are mechanically cumbersome and very expensive to manufacture and maintain. Therefore, there is and continues to be a need for an automatic water shut off valve that is of a relatively simple design that has the ability to sense and detect relatively small trickle leaks as well as large catastrophic leaks and to shut off the associated valve in response to detecting either.
Water leakage detection systems are generally effective to stop the leakage once the leakage problem has been detected. However, water leakage detection systems of the prior art have done very little to minimize the damage caused by a leak once the leak has indeed occurred. In cases where the home or building is attended, then once a leak occurs and the main supply of water has been shutoff, then steps can be taken to remove standing water from areas and do whatever is required to minimize the damage. The problem comes into play when there is a leak, especially a catastrophic leak, in a home or building that is unattended. For example, a catastrophic leak even though detected and stopped can leave standing water on hardwood floors, for example. If the standing water remains on the hardwood floors for any significant amount of time, one can expect the floor to buckle and be so severely damaged that a new floor is required.
Therefore, there is a need for a water leakage detection system that will communicate the existence of a leakage to a central clearing station, such as a security service, if a home or building is unattended. The reporting of a leak to a central clearing center will permit the away homeowner to be contacted or even a repair service to be contacted so that the water damage can be immediately cleared and the problem causing the leak repaired.